RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Services have been announced to honor the life of fallen North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) Trooper John S. Horton, 42.
According to a release from the department, services will take place Friday, Jan. 7, on the campus of Isothermal Community College (ICC) in Rutherford County. Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Foundation Auditorium.
Officials say Horton's body will be ceremoniously carried by the North Carolina Troopers Association Caisson Unit around the ICC lake at the end of the visitation.
The funeral service will take place at 5 p.m. inside the auditorium. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis with the exception of reserved seating for family, first responders and any invited guests. A private graveside ceremony will be held at a later time just from family and close friends.
Horton was a 15-year veteran with NCSHP. He was struck and killed by a patrol car while conducting a traffic stop in Mooresboro around 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 3.
Memorials and support for the trooper's life have been shared across the country since the news of his passing.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office confirmed he previously was with their department before making it to the NCSHP.
An escort was also held on Tuesday as his body was being transported from Spartanburg, South Carolina to Forest City. Gary Poteat, a friend of the John S. Horton, shared a video of the escort with WCNC Charlotte.
A Florida teen, Zechariah Cartledge, also paid tribute to the trooper with a one-mile run on Wednesday. The 13-year-old is the founder of Running 4 Heroes Inc.
